SWALLOW-TAILED FLYCATCHER-

Happy Thanksgiving to all. My wife and I just returned from vacation in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We had a wonderful time while touring and the people of Oklahoma were wonderful. Along with the sight seeing they made our visit extra special. Thank you Oklahomans. While there I decided to find out about the state bird. The state bird of Oklahoma is the SWALLOW-TAILED FLYCATCHER. Another names of this magnificent bird is the Scissor Tailed Flycatcher.

This very attractive species of Flycatcher limits it habitat to the exposed prairie and sparse timberland of the South Western areas of The United States beyond the Mississippi River. Also they inhabit the plains of Mexico. They land often on the plants of the plains preying upon the grasshoppers, one of their main foods. During their flitting about, landing on plants and feeding they remain quiet, and with mistrust and shyness, avoid people. Scissor Tailed Flycatchers also inhabit parts of Central and South America and their islands during the winter months, returning to North America to mate, nest and raise young.

His graceful scissors like tail, open or closed while flying, is an unusual characteristic in his plumage, and provides even to the most careless observer a beautiful sight. The male's tail that is seven to ten inches long is longer than the his fourteen inch total length. The female's tail is shorter. The Scissor Tailed Flycatcher's top part of the head, side of their face, and nape of the neck are dusty gray in color. Their back is ashen brown, with a dusky butt and the forward part of the wings colored crimson. Their quills are a reddish black and their tail feathers are deep black. On each side of the bird you will find feathers colored rosy and the breast of the bird is white.

Like most song birds, scissor tails emigrate at night. During the day the flycatchers rest and feed building the fat reserves that will nourish them when they take another night flight. It is still unknown whether Scissor Tailed Flycatchers migrate alone or in little groups. The scissor tail is one of the earliest birds to arrive each spring. Usually people observe the first spring time scissortails in Oklahoma from early April to late October. Once in a while birders see the scissor tails during the last week of March. Occasionally some birds remain until the middle of November.

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